Meet Our Founder

From his early years as a child, Wayne Hazle was a gifted writer, winning poetry and short story contests in grade school. Like many of today's filmmakers, his excitement for film grew stronger after the blockbuster films of Spielberg and Lucas in the seventies and eighties.

Wayne Hazle’s interest in film grew during his years at the University of Pennsylvania. Though he majored in Computer Science Engineering, it was his film courses at The Annenberg School of Communication, which sparked his imagination. While pursuing his career at Microsoft in Redmond, Washington, his interest in screenwriting took hold.

Eventually Hazle realized the need to move to sunny Southern California, in the Los Angeles area. Soon after his move, he enrolled and completed courses covering all aspects of filmmaking at UCLA.

For his first project, Hazle decided to make a contemporary version of The Tell-Tale Heart, the classic Edgar Allen Poe short story into a short film. The film was chosen as part of the Showtime Black Filmmaker Showcase of 1999. It also played in various film festivals across the country.

Next Hazle created an ambitious anthology series called The Pen. In the tradition of The Red Violin and Twenty Bucks, it follows a mysterious, ornate fountain pen through the lives of various owners. Hazle filmed the first two episodes of the series in 2003.

The Crusader and Just One Perfect Day aired at many film festivals including the Santa Barbara African Heritage Film Series, the Coheco Independent Film & Video Festival, and the San Francisco African American Film series. It also aired nationally on the African-American Filmmakers series on local TV channels.

In 2004, Hazle’s original screenplay, Vagabond won the grand prize of the Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (BHERC) Screenwriting Contest. Vagabond is currently in development with South Street Studios.

Some words from Hazle in a recent interview:

“I started my own production company after one too many ‘hood movies’ were coming out. I absolutely support these movies and believe they need to be made, but there are many other stories of the African-American experience. I love flawed, complex heroes and I just wasn’t seeing this on-screen in African-American characters. So I knew I had to write them myself.”

“I am thrilled that since starting my company, I have seen a growth in diversity in Hollywood, both in front of and behind the camera. African-American directors are no longer confined to making one type of story.”

“I’m a big action adventure fan. I have seen each of the Indiana Jones films dozens of times. I’ve got a swashbuckling character of my own that I can’t wait to take to screen.”

“I am excited about filming my script Vagabond. The story resonates with me on so many levels.”

Wayne Hazle is an intrepid world traveler. His trails have led him to India, where he touched the waters of the Ganges. He has walked through The Killing Fields of Cambodia, the ruins of Machu Picchu and mushed sled dogs on the Iditarod trail. In fall of 2005 his path leads him on a safari of the Serengeti in Kenya and Tanzania, then a hike through the Virunga Mountains of Rwanda to see the legendary mountain gorillas popularized in the film Gorillas in the Mist.

"One day I hope to make a documentary of all my travels around the world."

Wayne Hazle is an avid reader and aerobics fan and can often be seen speeding around Southern California on his Honda Valkyrie motorcycle.